Publications & AUDIO

Article: Refugees in Towns: Experiences of Integration

In this Forced Migration Review article, RIT PI Karen Jacobsen presents the project, why it is of importance in our current political climate, and what the project seeks to achieve. She explains how RIT's case studies are designed, and what information they include. She also shares how individuals living in towns experiencing refugee integration can contribute to the RIT project.

Welfare without Welcome in the “City of Smiles”

Case Report: Aarhus, Denmark

The RIT Aarhus case report looks at the integration experience of refugees within a Nordic welfare state. On the one hand, the welfare state provides services and support that may be unimaginable in many other urban displacement settings. On the other hand, the national debates and policies on refugees and immigration have become focused on restricting access and conflation of debates on refugees and radicalization. In this report, readers explore a city with welfare, but little sense of welcome written by a Syrian refugee and Aarhus resident.

Integration in a Small New England Town

Case Report: Augusta, Maine, USA

The Augusta report explores primarily Middle Eastern refugees who arrived as "secondary" migrants to a small town in Maine. They have experienced a range of challenges and successes integrating with "Old Mainer" society, facing a pervasive attitude of scarcity among residents whose ancestors arrived as French Canadian economic migrants generations ago. After describing the integration challenges with Augusta's public services, housing market, and cultural barriers, the report offers a glimmer of hope with "World to Table," a "culinary diplomacy" venue started by the authors.

Your US Neighbor: The experiences of Syrian Refugees in the American South

Case Report: Austin, Texas, USA

The Austin case study looks at Syrian refugees living in the deep American southwest, and how their wellbeing impacts their experiences with integration. The author, herself a Syrian migrant to the US, shares a depth of experience with shifting identity, belonging, and ability to live and thrive in Austin, documenting everything from learning cultural norms and mannerisms to driving and understanding street signs.

CASE REport: Belgrade, Serbia

The Belgrade case study explores the relationship between the European migrant crisis and political movements in Serbia. It looks at the role of Belgrade as a transit hub for waves of forced migrants, and at the effects of policies to manage migration flows (e.g. counter-smuggling, transit center shut-downs, and restrictions on humanitarian agencies) on the lived experiences of migrants, Serbians, and aid workers who live, work, and pass through the city. The report was conducted and written by two residents of Belgrade who draw from personal experience with displacement from the recent Balkans region conflict.

Getting by on the Margins: Sudanese and Somali Refugees

Case Report: Cairo, Egypt

The Cairo report shares the experiences of Egypt's largely overlooked Sudanese, Ethiopian, Eritrean, South Sudanese, and Somali refugees, as well as their impact on the several neighborhoods in the city. With next to no meaningful opportunities for local integration, minimal assistance from the international community, and no path to citizenship, future prospects for refugees in Cairo are dim. Yet, despite enduring high levels of racist and xenophobic harassment, abuse, and violence, Cairo’s refugees make the most out of a difficult situation and persevere to develop and sustain their communities. The report draws on the author's years of experience as a case worker for refugees in Cairo, and benefits from the viewpoints of two research assistants who are themselves sub-Saharan African refugees living in Cairo.

CASE Report: Cape town, South Africa

The Cape Town report focuses on the educational integration of 15-20-year-old first-generation immigrant pupils in four different schools of Cape Town, and their difficulties with permits, language and cultural barriers, and views of prejudice toward them. The author is himself a migrant to Cape Town from Zimbabwe who has undergone the long process of integration, and presents his own experiences and social network in the city. The report concludes with some recommendations to improve the integration of migrant children in the schools of Cape Town.

Planting the Seeds of an Inclusive Culture

Case Report: Concord, New Hampshire, USA

The Concord report looks from the eyes of a lifelong resident on a city that has worked to make itself a local bastion of inclusiveness against anti-immigrant rhetoric at the national level. The report focuses on experiences of high school students, who in many cases have set the tone for the city when outbursts of xenophobia have occurred. Despite the intentions of many Concord residents to make the city welcoming and inclusive, however, the report identifies some obstacles to integration, especially the clustering of migrants in low income housing census tracts of the city.

CASE Report: Dar es salaam, Tanzania

This report examines the vulnerabilities of urban refugees, and the difficulties they encounter in accessing basic services in the city. It considers their integration with the Tanzanian urban poor who they live side by side in the informal settlements of the city. It also considers what is next for Tanzania in the wake of a growing displacement crisis in the Central and East African regions, and considers recommendations that could be enacted to improve the lives of the urban refugees of Dar es Salaam.

CASE Report: Delhi, India

Food, when unavailable, is a human security concern―from famine and food riots at the community level, to malnutrition, stunted growth, and deficiency diseases at the individual level. When available, food can be an emotional experience, a community identity, or an economic industry. Refugees in Delhi, India are bridging these two aspects of food when they cook dishes from their hometowns and sell it as a livelihood strategy. The report is written by a lifelong resident of Delhi.

Hispanics in the Neighborhood: Changing Urban Space

Case Report: East Boston, Massachusetts, USA

The East Boston report explores a rapidly changing neighborhood that is being transformed both by immigration (largely from Hispanic populations), and by gentrification including the skyrocketing cost of rent, particularly along certain streets. The author, herself a migrant from Costa Rica, looks at how the ownership and use of spaces in East Boston are changing from old mostly Italian Americans to newly arriving Hispanics and "yuppy" high income, primarily white gentrifiers. The author illustrates how at a neighborhood level, East Boston appears integrated and diverse, but at a street level and in terms of social connections, the neighborhood remains divided.

Preliminary Case Report: Hamburg, Germany

This study explores the spatial and ethical implications of Germany’s new national housing policy and its impact on integration in the city-state of Hamburg. It analyzes the effects of an unprecedented and innovative land use policy on local planning processes, the resultant housing accommodations, and the experience of asylum seekers and local residents. By focusing on the inherently spatial aspect of refugee housing, this case study will foreground the impact of political and geographic choices on the integration experience. Lessons from the implications of this policy will have significance for countries that are seeking creative ways to incite construction of new affordable housing units for marginalized populations in land-constrained urban areas in the future.

CASE REPORT: Pokrovsk, Ukraine

This report focuses on IDPs and an entire university (Donetsk Technical University) that were uprooted from Donetsk and repositioned in the small coal-mining town of Pokrovsk. It explores how they have adjusted to their new town, and how these IDPs have transformed the city, bringing new “big city” culture, higher incomes, connections to the science & technology sector, a large population of socially-minded youth, and differing attitudes about local government. The author is a faculty member of the university and has, with her family and colleagues, begun the process of integration to Pokrovsk.

CASE REPORT: Sultanbeyli, Istanbul, Turkey

Turkey has experienced the biggest influx of Syrians, almost 3 million refugees, since 2011. Different than many refugee-receiving countries where refugees are placed in camps upon their arrival, in Turkey, more than 90% of all refugees live in cities. This report looks at social capital as a resource for integration. The report is written by a lifelong resident of Istanbul.

Preliminary Case report: Tripoli, Lebanon

This case study explores how the Syrian influx has affected Tripoli, with a focus on urban poverty, including how relationships between Lebanese and Syrians have deteriorated as competition over jobs intensifies, security concerns increase, and decrepit public infrastructure has been further strained. It highlights the responses of Syrian refugees and the Lebanese population, ending with some ideas about ways to improve employment prospects and economic stability.

This webinar recording shares findings from three Refugees in Towns cases exploring local experiences with integration in developing cities: Cape Town, Dar es Salaam, and Delhi. The webinar features local researchers from each city, and explores how migrant and host communities have experienced and adapted to integration.

Webinar: Integration on the Balkans route from Istanbul to Belgrade to Hamburg

This webinar recording shares the findings from three Refugees in Towns cases exploring local experiences with integration in three cities along the Balkans migrant route: Istanbul as a source city, Belgrade as a transit city, and Hamburg as a destination city. The webinar features local researchers from each city, and discusses their experiences with localized and participant research.